Oh Time! Where Have Ye Gone?

How is it possible that it is already the end of 2011? I am truly dumbfounded.

The year has certainly been eventful, featuring, among other things:

• The girls' first plane experience - to Disneyworld of all places
• Packing! And moving!
• A much needed vacation.
  
• Kindergarten for LP! And a new day care for AK!
• Playdates with new friends!
• Everyone sleeping in until 8:45 on the weekends! People said it would happen eventually, and it really could not have come at a better time.
  

There are still lots of challenges to keep life interesting:

• A merger. And the resulting ongoing integration and work irritation.
• The ongoing struggle to understand and manage the crazy, ductless heating system at our new home.
• Lots and lots of days off and half days thanks to the fabulous, but bizarre public school calendars.
• Making new friends. Sticking my toe in the water a little more all of the time, but haven't taken the big plunge and gone on a double date in the new 'hood yet.

Thing I am looking forward to in 2012:

• My 10 year wedding anniversary
•  Having the girls' birthday party in our backyard 
• Enjoying our water access in the summer 
• Weekend excursions (VT? DC? FL? We'll see!) 
• Summer vacation 
• LP experiencing camp for the first time

Is life perfect? No. Will it ever be? Probably not. But is life good? Heck yeah. Cheers to you all!

So This is Christmas

The holiday spirit is everywhere and, as in years past, this is not lost on LP and AK.

What is different is that this year we are all more involved in the Jewish community - thanks to AK attending the Jewish Community Center for day care and LP going to Sunday school. I am a bit surprised at how much of an impact this has on their holiday season experience.

AK says stuff like, "Mommy why are they already decorated for Christmas? It isn't Christmas yet!" 

And LP chimes in, "Mom, Christmas is only get one day, right? We get eight!"

LP has started eating latkes and both girls request our CD of Chanukah pop songs. And sing along.

They both keep tally of which of their friends are "Christmas people" and "Chanukah people" and the "really lucky friends that celebrate both!"

They couldn't wait to decorate our home for Chanukah and have a party, In fact, I think LP has been making place-settings for a not-planned Chanukah party for several weeks now.

So, dear readers - Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Happy Chanukah! Blessed Kwanzaa! Happy Holidays!
 

But...I'm the Mom

Yesterday my mom totally called me out. I was telling her that AK had a random day off this week for teacher training and I was going to take the day off or work from home to cover it because, "I'm the mom."

"Where do you get that from?" she asked.

"What do you mean? I'm the mom."

As she knows, it was not that the Hoos wouldn't do it. I just hadn't asked...

"You didn't learn that from us. Why do you feel the need to do everything?"

At first, I started getting defensive, "Well, he is the primary income earner...I have more flexibility in my job."

And then I realized, she is right.

The Hoos says the same thing. He can help. He wants to help. But I just do stuff without even asking.

Sometimes it is because I "know" that I can just do something faster without giving instructions. Other times it is because I want it done when I want it done and I don't really want to have to wait.

And sometimes I think it is just because, well, I'm the mom...

It is the job, right? How do you guys overcome this?

Oldies but Goodies

Don't you love when you are cleaning out old files and you come across old photos and videos? These aren't great, or even that interesting, but I like them anyway.

LP is in red with the ponytail.

Love Me to Death

I know AK loves me because she tells me she does. A lot. Maybe like 10 times a day. And because she gives me a lot of kisses. And, no I don't really ever get tired of either of these things. I totally accept them both as sincere, even if they aren't (as in "I-love-you-mommy-smooch-now-can-I-have-candy?").

But honestly, the kid causes me physical pain almost as often as she tells me she loves me. I think she has come close to giving me a concussion at least twice in the last week.

One night, as I was laying in bed with her, she suddenly jumped up, head-butting me, because she wanted to switch pillows. It hurt me so much, I yelled out, "OH MY GOSH!"And she cried. But not because it hurt, because I screamed. It amazes me that I see stars and she feels absolutely no pain from the same impact.

For the record, the Hoos was in the next room with LP and did not come running. Later he said he hadn't even heard anything.

Last night I took the girls to the JCC for open swim after school. They have both gotten more independent in the water and wear bubbles, but I still go in with them as an in-water lifeguard. They were having a grand old time (I was freezing!) floating around, jumping in and splashing like crazy while I observed from a safe, central, in-water, spot. All of a sudden, AK jumped in and body slammed my head.

I was standing about a foot from her and a couple of feet below her. I think I got whiplash. I was concerned that AK had broken her solar plexus on my head. It didn't help that she burst into tears. I looked at LP and told her we were leaving. Not loudly, not yelling, but firmly. She understood and quickly came out of the pool. I wanted to get AK into the locker room so that I could check her out and quiet her down (and avoid the dumbfounded stares of the parents watching their kids have swimming lessons).

I whisked them both into the locker room, sat AK down and asked calmly if she was okay or if she was just scared. She looked directly at me and said, "Momma? Are you mad at me?"

So we are all okay... Until the next time AK decides to smother me with her love or guilt me to death.

Losing It!

Okay, folks, I am officially losing control. Not over my bodily functions (that was only when I was pregnant, thank you very much) but over my children's lives.

I am the mom, dang it! I am supposed to be all-knowing and powerful! (Mom, stop laughing..really, it isn't that funny that you wished this experience on me. Thanks.)

It all started when LP had a playdate with a boy from her class. I survived and it was nice and she still talks about how David is one of her "best friends." Which is making me think that I now have to reciprocate. I mean, I do, right? She needs to have more than just one playdate per school year? The challenge is that 1. I work and 2. I don't know how to "run" a playdate! Was that in the mom handbook? Did I miss it when they gave out "What to Expect - the School Years"?!

The Hoos (shockingly) isn't much help. When I asked him if I should see about bringing David home after Sunday school (he and LP are in the same class), he looked at me like I was nuts. "NO! You have his mom bring him over!" But, why? She knows me. Why should we pick our kids up at 12 separately when I can just pick them both up? Am I doing something wrong?

And in case worrying about LP's playdates wasn't enough - yesterday I got an email from the mom of one of AK's friends requesting a playdate for MY THREE YEAR OLD! She actually offered to take AK home from day care for a few hours (since she picks up earlier than I do, I guess).

WHAT?!

Am I a wimp that I would never consider 1. letting someone I have never met take my child home and 2. bringing home a child that I don't really know?

In case you are wondering, I wrote back and told the mom that since AK has never been to a playdate without me, I would like to try to find a time when I could bring her over. Does this make me a control freak? I don't think I am a constantly hovering helicopter mom, but am I?!

Partners in Crime

Check out one of my most favorite pictures of me and the Hoos. Aren't we cute? And young? Look at our hair! So full, so not gray! I would have put up a more recent photo of just the two of us, but I am realizing that I don't really have any. So this will have to suffice.

This weekend we spent three whole days and nights without children. We love our children. A LOT. But it was really nice to be able to run errands and do projects without having to worry about what we weren't doing - namely entertaining the kids. My parents, on the other hand, had their hands full. But I would like to think they loved every minute of THEIR weekend WITH our lovely daughters.

Needless to say it was a very busy and productive weekend. And full of just the sort of ridiculous stuff we did before kids:

1. Meeting for dinner at 7:30pm.
   
2. Selecting a restaurant based on the type of food I was craving (Indian) and its proximity to another errand (see #3)
   
3. Checking out the Swiss Army Warehouse sale - at 8pm, after the crowds had abated. Still crowded but who cared! We had no fear of losing our children in the rush.
4. Going to Home Depot right before closing, buying what we needed and NOT leaving with a whole bunch of "Mickey's" (Disney paint chips).
5. Installing a new faucet in our kitchen - together! While smiling and laughing and focused.
6. Measuring and contemplating purchasing items at IKEA together instead of chasing children through the store.
7. Fitting several large and heavy boxes from IKEA into the car (impossible with car seats and kids).
8. Spending two hours putting said furniture together from IKEA - only realizing we had done it totally wrong!
9. Frantically disassembling furniture so we could rush back to IKEA before it closed and exchange it for one that hadn't been f*&d up by our stupidity. (And shrugging about it instead of fighting and playing the blame game).
10. Eating dinner at a pizza-only joint at 9pm.
11. Assembling furniture for a second time - and staying up until 1:30am to do it. (Mostly so we wouldn't have to do it the next day with our little lovies back under foot).
12. Meeting my friend's beautiful newborn daughter. And getting to hold her for 45 uninterrupted minutes.
    

All of this crazy affirmed:

• That I did, indeed, marry my best friend.
• How nice it is to hold SOMEONE ELSE'S newborn. And it is totally possible to do this without wanting your own.
  

Just Pretend I'm Not Here

Exchange in the car last night:

"AK, tomorrow when mommy and me pick you up, guess what you are going to do?"

"Go swimming?"

"No."

"Go on the playground?"

"No. You are going to run right to me and give me a hug. Don't run to mommy."

"But I love her so much, LP. When I love you so much, I will run to you."

Me, interjecting, "AK, you love LP very much. She is your sister."

"Okay, LP, tomorrow I will run to you."

"Promise?"

"Okay."

"When you promise it means that you really want to do something. Actually, I don't really know what it means, but that is what I think it means. So remember - you promised to run to me tomorrow, not mommy."

What Isn't New?!

It seems like very day brings a new experience.

Yesterday, AK went on her first fierld trip. Not only was it her first field trip ever, it was her first trip with her new day care. And, wowza!, was it different from the old day care! A couple of weeks ago I got a permission slip. It didn't ask for money, or for chaperones, it just asked for my signature so AK could attend the trip.

When the Hoos dropped AK off yesterday morning he confirmed that all of the 3s would be taking a big yellow school bus to the farm. And when I picked her up yesterday she had a package with a pumpkin, an apple and a scarecrow on a stick. She was also full of smiles and stories about the goats, geese, ducks and hayride, "There were bushes with long branches and so we had to keep our hands in so they didn't have to fix up cuts on anyone's hands!"

It was wonderful. Between that and the weekly swimming lessons and music class "with Miss Rhea!" I think AK is in a great place.

As for LP, she is having lots of excitement too. Last night I got a phone call from her friend David's mom asking to set up a playdate. So, this afternoon I will bring her over to his house for a couple of hours. Fortunately, it is one of LP's bus days (as opposed to an after care day). I will likely stick around but if it works out, maybe I won't have to in the future (is that how these things work)? It is really an odd feeling to be setting up a playdate with one of LP's friends as opposed to with my friends whose kids happen to be LP's friends. Regardless, I give David's mom a lot of credit for just looking me up in the directory and calling. Especially after AK picked up the phone the first time and promptly hung up!

And finally, in terms of new experiences, I have started recognizing people around town and making connections. We don't live in a small town, so it is really nice to see repeat faces. Like on Sunday, when we went to a birthday party for one of LP's friends from her old day care, and two of her friends from Hebrew school were also in attendance (talk about a small world). Or when I went to Target and ran into a family from synagogue. Or when people I recognize but can't place wave at me in the grocery store or the school parking lot.

New is normal, and I guess I kind of like it.

Getting Dirty

So, did anyone go outside and get dirty in response to my previous post? If you did - I have good news!

The folks at Clorox 2 have offered up 5 gift certificates, each for a free bottle of Clorox 2! So offer up a comment on what you have been doing to get out and go-go! Five winners will be randomly selected!